To Live Long Enough
by Lilliana Greenleaf
Summary: The existence of the six infinity stones is known by those to whom it matters, but knowledge of the seventh has been lost. Now, it has returned, and those who don't know its true power want it for themselves. However, obtaining the seventh stone is easier said than done. As they say, an eye for an eye...
1. Heavy Rain

This is based off of the information from all the movies, not the comics. If I get something wrong, please inform me, it has been a while since I've seen them.

* * *

The blinding torrent was relentless, heedless of the girl running through the streets, trying to see far enough ahead so she would know if she was going to be trapped, but the rain had other plans. She could barely see two feet in front of her, so she didn't notice when she ran out into the street. The airhorn of the semi, however, was heard even over the rain, and the headlights pierced through, aimed straight at her. Like a startled deer she just stared, unknowing of the misfortune about to befall her. She was naive then, and she was afraid.

However, something large, heavy, and hard crashed into her from the side, knocking her out of the way of the truck. She hit the sidewalk on the other side of the street hard, scraping her knees, elbows, and hands. A soft whimper escaped her lips, inaudible over the rain. She rolled to lay on her back, closing her eyes against the rain. She didn't want to get up.

"You there!" A deep, proud voice called out to her, and she sat up a bit. Beside her was a red, white, and blue shield with a white star in the middle. She looked up to see a man jogging across the street towards her. He looked both ways before crossing. His soaked white t-shirt clung to him beneath a brown leather jacket, and his muscles were clearly defined. He wore a pair of blue jeans and some boots. His blond hair clung to his face, his blue eyes shining with concern. "Are you alright?"

She couldn't tell how far away he was until he was standing over her, offering his hand to her. The rain continued to pour, and she was still scared, but she took it and allowed the man to pull her to her feet. She was trembling violently, both from the shock and the chill from the rain. The man removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders. It was very warm, and way too big. "Can you tell me your name, miss?" He shouted over the rain.

"I don't remember." Her own voice sounded foreign to her. She realized she couldn't remember anything. She had a bewildered look on her face, still akin to a startled deer. The man gave her a pitying look, and lifted the shield over her head. Instead of being pummeled by rain drops, she was deafened by the sound of rain on metal. The man shouted over the noise, "come with me. There's a cafe over there, you can dry off there." She had little choice; what else was she supposed to do? She didn't know who she was, where she was, why, or why she couldn't tell how far everything away was. She felt as if she were looking at a photo: awfully two dimensional.

Soon enough, she was no longer chilled by the rain, but by the air conditioning of the small cafe around the corner. The man sat across from her, pushing a steaming mug towards her. She peered down at it, clutching his jacket close to her. The smell of leather and a trace of cologne was much better than the stink of the city air, even in the rain. Her hair, black as night against creamy white skin, clung to her face, but it was only long enough to stick to her forehead and the sides of her cheeks. It tickled the back of her neck.

She reached out and put her hands around the cup. It was very warm, and felt nice against her cold palms. "What is it?" She asked. Her voice was frail and a bit raspy, perhaps she had a cold. It would be no surprise; she couldn't remember how long she had been running in the rain, or even what she was running from. She lifted the mug to her lips, and yelped when she was burned. The man gave her a concerned look and said gently, "blow on it first." She did what she was told. It didn't burn, but she wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue at the bitter taste. The man chuckled softly and commented, "coffee is pretty bitter by itself. Here," he put some sugar and cream in it. She found that it tasted much better.

"Let me introduce myself," the man began, leaning back in his chair. His hair, though it had been soaked by the rain, still seemed to be neat and tidy. "My name is Steve Rogers." He seemed like he was about to say more, but stopped himself. She stared at him expectingly. He cleared his throat, "and you don't remember your name?" She shook her head, "no." He motioned to her, "check your pockets."

She did, but she was wearing those incredibly annoying jeans that look like they have pockets, but they actually don't. Her shirt had one breast pocket, and in that pocket was a small silver locket in the shape of a snake wound in an oval. The snake had onyx for eyes. It was a very pretty thing, except it had no chain to hang around her neck. She opened it, but it was empty.

"Well..." Mr. Rogers began. "Perhaps there is another way that we can find out who you are." She put the locket back in her pocket. "What do you remember?" He asked her. She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I only remember the rain." He crossed his arms and gestured to his own eye, "you don't remember how you got that?" She was confused until she reached up and felt something over her left eye. An eyepatch? That would explain the issues she was having with depth perception. "No, I don't remember." A gut feeling told her to keep the eyepatch on.

"I can't just leave you here." Mr. Rogers leaned on his elbows. "Maybe Tony can help you." She tilted her head, "who's Tony?" He replied, "Tony Stark, he's... well he's rich and full of himself." He stood, leaving a few dollars on the table for a tip. "I'm currently living with him. I'll take you there, alright?" She nodded; it seemed to be the best option. It was either that or the rain.

By the time they reached Stark Tower, they were soaked through once again. She followed Mr. Rogers inside, her eyes widening at the glamour of the first floor. The tower was massive; it was hard to believe that so few people resided here.

A young woman with red hair walked towards them, her heels echoing around the hall. "Steve, who's this?" She motioned to the frightened young woman standing there. Mr. Rogers replied, "I'm not sure. I think she has amnesia. I brought her here, since I couldn't just leave her out in the rain." He turned to the woman, "this is Ms. Pepper Potts." Mrs. Potts gave her a sympathetic look, "I'll bring you two a towel."

Mr. Rogers brushed his hair back out of his face. He flashed her a smile, "how are you feeling?" She replied meekly, "my head hurts." She rubbed her temples. It wasn't a very prominent pain, but it was extremely annoying. He patted her shoulder gently, "maybe Ms. Potts can get you something."

Ms. Potts returned with two towels and handed one to each of them. The young woman took it, drying her face and her hair first. Ms. Potts laughed a bit, "your hair is sticking up." She reached forward and smoothed down the wild black strands. The woman finished drying herself off as much as her soaked clothes would allow.

"Follow me, miss." Ms. Potts walked down the hall to an elevator. Mr. Rogers came with them, but he got off on a different floor. When they got off, they walked down a long hallway and ran into a man whose chest was glowing through his shirt. "Pepper, who is this?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Ms. Potts replied, "Steve found her on the street. She doesn't remember anything. I'm going to get her some dry clothes and a place to sleep, and maybe she'll remember something in the morning."

The man nodded and held out his hand to her. "Tony Stark." She shook his hand shyly. He let go and crossed his arms. "How about we call you Miss Black? That's easy enough to remember." She nodded her head, "that's fine." He asked, "what's with the eyepatch?" She reached up and touched it, answering, "I don't remember." Mr. Stark shrugged, "alright then. Pepper, when you're finished, come to my office." Ms. Potts smiled warmly, "of course." She then pulled Miss Black down the hall once again.

Ms. Potts led her into a simple but pleasant room. "You can stay here for now. I'll be right back with some clothes." Ms. Potts left, leaving Miss Black to explore the room alone. She ran her fingers over the bed frame, then over the burgundy comforter. She went over to the window and peered out over the city. It looked so grey in the heavy rain. She turned away and went over to the mirror hanging on the wall, and found herself looking at her reflection. She was startled, since she had no memory of herself. She was very thin, and looked delicate. Her hair was cropped short and looked rather fuzzy. Her eye, the one that was showing, was pale blue, almost as white as the whites of her eyes. She had a bit of a haunted look, with dark circles under her eyes, but when she smiled at herself, she looked pretty.

Her eyepatch was nothing more than a bit of black cloth with some string tied around her head. She reached up, planning on taking it off, but Ms. Potts came back and startled her. "I see you've found the mirror." Ms. Potts smiled kindly. "Here," she set some clothes on the bed. "Put these on, and I'll let you get some rest. You must be exhausted." Miss Black nodded, realizing exactly how tired she was. "Thank you, Ms. Potts." "You're welcome." Ms. Potts turned and left the room.

Miss Black put on the soft pajamas, and pulled back the sheets on the bed. But before she laid down, she went back over to the mirror, her curiosity getting the best of her. Maybe her hidden eye could give her some clue as to who she was? She untied the string, slowly lowering it.

Her entire eye was black.

Her eyes widened at the strange sight, and she gasped. An unreasonable wave of fear washed over her. Her eye, blacker than her hair, seemed to glow in an eerie sort of way. It looked so deep, like the entire universe had been swallowed up in the darkness. That was the last thing she saw before the mirror shattered outwards, and some force blew her back. A scream was ripped from her lungs, but it wasn't her own. She smacked her head against the bed frame, and everything went black.


	2. Heartbeat

"Shit, what the hell was that?" A door was ripped open so hard that it nearly came off the hinges. "Miss Black?" A different voice, deeper, familiar, and heavy footsteps rushing into the room. "I'll call an ambulance!" A woman's voice, quivering with panic. "NO, no, call the SHIELD doctor, mirrors don't just explode." The first voice, and heels racing down the hall. A gentle hand and strong arms lifting her head on the floor. Miss Black opened her right eye. Her hand covered her left.

Mr. Rogers knelt over her, cradling her head in his hand. "Miss Black, are you alright?" Miss Black let out a soft groan, then she whispered, "Amaia." Mr. Rogers looked concerned, "Amaia? Is that your name?" Something hot and sticky was soaking her hair. "Yes..." She felt weak, but she had the strength to cover her eye. Mr. Stark stood behind Mr. Rogers, "fuck, that's a lot of blood." Mr. Rogers shot a glare over his shoulder, "language!" Mr. Stark rolled his eyes, "it doesn't matter at the moment!" He took off his shirt, and Amaia noticed the blue glowing circle that replaced his heart. He knelt down on the other side of her and gently pressed the shirt to the wound on her head.

"She's conscious, so I don't think there's serious damage." Mr. Rogers said, lifting her up into a sitting position and supporting her. She noticed the blood splattered over the bed frame. Was it her own? It had to be; no one else was bleeding. Mr. Stark pressed harder with the shirt, "what the hell happened?" Mr. Rogers shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with her eye?"

"The eyepatch," Amaia murmured weakly. She could see it, laying on the floor in front of the shattered mirror. She must have dropped it when she saw her eye.

 _Her eye._

She began to tremble, a few tears falling from her other eye. The mirror was her fault, she was sure of it. That must be why she kept her eye covered. She didn't remember anything, except for her name, but now she knew that she was dangerous.

"It's a good thing you found her, Steve." Mr. Stark said plainly. Mr. Rogers nodded in agreement. He wiped her tears gently. "It's alright. Does your head hurt?" She realized that it felt like a great pressure had been lifted. "No, it doesn't. It just stings a little."

Ms. Potts hurried back into the room, followed by a doctor with a kind face and a man with an eyepatch who didn't look so kind. The doctor hurried over and knelt in front of her, a comforting smile on his face. "Miss Black, I'm Dr. Banks. I'm here to help you." Mr. Rogers waited for him to finish his sentence before he interrupted, "she remembers her first name. It's Amaia. She doesn't remember anything beyond that." "Yes," Dr. Banks looked thoughtful. "Ms. Potts informed me of the situation. Pick her up and put her on the bed, make sure she's sitting up." Mr. Rogers picked her up easily, as if she weighed as much as a feather, and set her on the bed, propping her up with pillows. Mr. Stark tied her eyepatch around her head, making sure that it didn't rest over the wound.

Dr. Banks made quick work of the wound, inspecting it before deciding it wasn't serious and bandaging it. "Just a laceration. There's no damage to your skull or your brain. You'll be fine. Now, may I check your vitals?" She nodded, and he shone a flashlight into her right eye. "I'm assuming you don't want me to see your left eye?" She nodded.

"Now when this happened," he got out his stethoscope. "Did you hear anything? How were you feeling? Were you afraid? Blood roaring in your ears? Heart beating fast?" She thought for a moment, then replied, "I was afraid, but I didn't hear anything but the glass shattering. I don't think my heart was beating fast. I couldn't feel it beating at all." Dr. Banks nodded and pressed the stethoscope to her wrist. He then got awfully pale. He took a moment to check his stethoscope, then did it again. He pressed it to her neck, then her chest. "Take a deep breath for me." She did as she was told.

Dr. Banks looked as if he had seen a ghost. He got out a blood pressure cuff and put it on her arm. The results only made him look confused. Mr. Rogers asked, "what's wrong, doctor?" Dr. Banks cleared his throat. "I've... never seen this before. Even... Even Colossus has one." The man with the eyepatch cleared his throat. "Has what?" Dr. Banks, bewildered, replied, "her blood pressure is normal, but I can't find a pulse. She's got no heartbeat."

"That's strange, she was certainly bleeding like she had one." Mr. Stark crossed his arms. Dr. Banks responded, "yes, her blood is flowing, but it's flowing much like a river rather than a heartbeat. It flows continuously, rather than by pulses. It's like yours, Mr. Stark, except she has no ARC reactor."

Amaia was afraid. No heartbeat? Was she dead then? No, she felt fine, and her blood was still flowing. The man with the eyepatch looked like he was thinking hard. "Let's bring her to the SHIELD helicarrier; we can run some tests there." Mr. Rogers frowned a bit, "I don't think that's a good idea. Some powers should be left alone." The man changed the subject, "Dr. Banks, what do you think?" Dr. Banks replied, "she appears to be nineteen or twenty years old. I believe she can make the choice on her own."

Mr. Rogers shook his head, "Fury, this is a bad idea." Mr. Stark interceded. "Maybe we should ask Thor. This might be one of his magical maladies." Ms. Potts agreed. Amaia wondered who Thor was, and this Fury guy made her nervous.

* * *

Something was off in Asgard, and it made Thor nervous to not know what it was. Normally, when he got an uneasy feeling, it was Loki's fault, but Loki had been behaving himself lately from his cell in the dungeons. So what was it?

Suddenly, he felt a wave of power. He couldn't source it, but it felt similar to when he held the Tesseract. He didn't like it. He immediately headed down to the dungeons, but Loki was still standing there, watching him. "You felt it too." So Thor hadn't imagined it. Thor said, "so it wasn't you?" "Of course not," Loki gave him a helpless look. Thor wasn't falling for it, but it didn't appear that Loki was doing anything out of the ordinary.

"Perhaps it was something from your precious Midgard?" Loki suggested, standing close to the magical barrier. Thor figured that it was likely. "Can I come with you? I do miss being outside," Loki said pitifully. Thor turned his back. "Of course not. You're staying here, out of trouble."

Loki smirked. "Oh, but trouble has only just begun."


	3. Roaring Silence

Amaia could see the apprehension on the god's face when he walked in the door. His hammer caught her eye next. Mr. Rogers looked up from his book; he was sitting in a plush chair beside her bed, reading to her. There was something comforting about it. "Thor," He set the book aside and stood, shaking Thor's hand. Thor greeted him heartily, "Captain, it is good to see you." Mr. Rogers smiled.

Thor looked over at Amaia, who was still recovering from her wound. Only a day had passed since the incident. "Miss Amaia Black?" She nodded shyly. He smiled warmly at her, "I am Thor, god of thunder. I hail from Asgard. Nick Fury has informed me of your situation." Amaia remained silent. Thor cleared his throat, "he informs me that you lack a heartbeat." She nodded.

Mr. Rogers spoke, "she has no heartbeat, but her blood still flows." Thor frowned in concentration. "Blood without a heartbeat? With the exception of the man of iron, I have never heard of such a thing. Tell me, Miss Amaia, why the eyepatch?" She answered timidly, "my eye is dangerous." Thor seemed to get an idea. He inquired, "what colour is it?" She replied, "black."

* * *

Thor wasn't sure what to make of it. He had initially thought that an infinity stone was inhabiting her body, perhaps even her corpse, she was so pale, but he hadn't heard of a black infinity stone. He asked her, "may I see?" She shook her head, looking nervous.

"One more thing," Steve got Thor's attention and pointed to the mirror, which was now no more than a few pieces of glass clinging to a wood frame. "The mirror shattered completely, but only one shard has been found." That shard was sitting on the nightstand. Thor picked it up, inspecting it. It was sharp, as shards of glass normally were, but it was small, no longer than Thor's hand. "Only one shard? Where did the rest go?" Steve shrugged, "we can't find any of them. It's as if they vanished."

"The locket!" Amaia startled them both with her sudden outburst. "Where is the locket?" Steve seemed to know what she was talking about. He went to the nightstand and picked up something small and silver out of the drawer. "Here," he dropped it in her palm, and she got a look of relief. "Thank you." Thor noticed, now that he was relaxing, that she had dark circles under her eyes, or at least, the eye that was visible.

"You have not slept," he spoke to her gently. She shook her head, and Steve got a bit of a pained look. Thor raised an eyebrow, and Steve explained, "the doctor said to keep her awake until you got here, in case something happened while she slept." Thor nodded, then he admitted, "I have no idea what's wrong with you. My apologies, Miss Black." Her face fell, "oh. It's alright." She seemed so delicate and harmless, Thor's heart twisted in pity for her. "But," he began, "I will do my best to find out. I know someone who might be able to help you." If anyone knew what she was, it would be the Collector.

Steve sat back down in the chair. "We'll be waiting here then." Thor had never seen him so impatient, though he certainly couldn't blame the man. There was something about the strange girl that seemed to draw people in, like moths to flame. Thor shook his head to clear it, "I will be swift. Don't let Fury pick her apart." Steve smiled a bit, "I won't."

Thor left, the pale face with a paler eye stuck in his mind. Her hair was so dark compared to the rest of her. What was she? Why was she there? What was she going to do? Most importantly, who was going to get hurt?

* * *

Amaia turned her gave to Mr. Rogers once Thor had left. "Will you keep reading?" Mr. Rogers smiled at her, "no, it's probably safe for you to sleep now. I'll be right here if anything goes wrong, okay?" She nodded and scooted down so she was laying with her head on the soft pillow. Mr. Rogers turned off the light, and she fell into a fitful sleep.

 _The silence was deafening, a roar of absolute emptiness. The world around her was consumed, but there was no sound. A realm apart from the nine, the birthplace of the infinity stones, the first of her graves. It started from the core, where she was buried. The stones were calling to her. No, not to her, to the burden she bore. They called to the End._

 _She opened her eyes to the darkness, but she could see every detail. In a perfect sphere her power radiated outward, swallowing everything in its path. There was no mercy. The creatures that lived there, ancient creatures with even more ancient magic, fled for the peaks of the mountains, but there was no safety for them there. She broke the surface, and watched their faces as she consumed them one by one. Even Death dare not approach the End. Their mouths were open in eternal screams, but no sound reached her. There was only silence._

 _When they were gone, she was falling. Her power ebbed, and she fell through space as if she were a comet. She was afraid. She reached the middle realm, and plummeted down into a city. It was raining, washing away her memory. She got to her feet and began running. She didn't realize that she could not escape herself._

Amaia woke with a scream of pure agony and terror. Mr. Rogers was startled out of his doze, "Amaia?" His eyes widened with concern when she began tearing the sheets in an attempt to get free. "No!" She shrieked, her voice cracking. Mr. Rogers grabbed her arms, "hey! Hey, Amaia, it's okay!" "NO! It's not okay!" She cried hysterically. "I don't remember anything because there's nothing to remember!" "What? Look, just calm down!" He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his chest. She struggled weakly, then broke down sobbing, clinging to his t-shirt. "My screams are not my own," she managed to say through sobs. "When the End comes, I will be alone forever."

Mr. Rogers shushed her, stroking her hair gently. "Calm down, and tell me what's wrong." He rocked her gently, sitting down on the bed with her. She hiccuped, beginning to realize that for now, she was safe. "I didn't even kill them. They met the End. They're gone." She whispered shakily. Mr. Rogers had no idea what she was talking about, but that wasn't important. "It's okay now, you're safe, I'm safe, everyone is safe." She shook her head, burying her face in his shoulder, and mumbled, "for how long?"

He didn't know the answer to that.


	4. The Missing Page

Thor took a deep breath and stepped inside the building that made him more nervous than anything else he had encountered throughout his years. The Intergalactic Museum always set him on edge, but the man who owned it did even more so. "Taneleer Tivan!" He called out, making sure he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. The Collector came around the corner with an eerily pleasant smile on his face. "Thor, son of Odin, it is good to see you. What brings you to Knowhere?" Thor replied, "I have a mystery for you." The Collector raised a hand. "First, come sit and have some tea with me."

Once they were seated and snacking comfortably, Thor told the Collector about the strange girl, Amaia. He hoped that the strange Elder would know something. "It sounds like an infinity stone," the Collector mused. "But among the six, there is no black stone. Did you see it for yourself?" "No," replied Thor, "she wouldn't remove her eyepatch." "And she has no memory of it?" The Collector asked, and Thor could almost see the wheels in his head turning. "No, she only remembers her name."

"Did you know," the Collector stood and began walking. Thor got up and followed. "That Amaia is a Midgard name, originating from the Basque language of Euskera. However, the humans have not been able to find the origins of the people or their language. I know." He had a pleased little smile. "Yes, I know very well. The ancient Basque people were descendants of the Elder who fell in love with a human. She is dead now, because when her lover died she lost her will to live, but her children live on as humans."

"What does this have to do with Amaia?" Thor asked impatiently. The Collector laughed, "patience, my friend, I will explain. Amaia is a Basque name, and if I am correct in my hypothesis, the meaning of her name will reveal her nature." Thor watched as the Collector reached his massive library and began looking through sections. "What is your hypothesis?" The Collector replied, "that the infinity stones cannot hold a candle to the power of your little lost puppy."

Thor was stunned, to say the least. "Excuse me?" The Collector spoke nonchalantly, "you heard me, god of thunder. If I am correct, it is a good thing she did not let you see her eye." He pulled out what seemed to be the most ancient book in the collection. "Here it is." He laid the book on the table and flipped through the pages. "Oh my," he stopped suddenly. "It seems one of the pages is missing. I suppose my hypothesis will remain just that."

"What do you think she is?" Thor was anxious. More powerful than the infinity stones? The Collector replied simply, "Amaia, in Basque, means the end."

* * *

Loki stared at the ceiling, waiting for the guards to leave. Of course, there was always several guarding the cells, but they didn't pay much attention. Once the lights were dimmed, Loki pulled a scrap of paper, yellowed and falling apart, out of his pocket. A "friend" of his on the outside had delivered it to him. It had been stolen from the Collector, and that was no small feat.

"The End," Loki murmured to himself, deciphering the ancient text. "Even Death fears the End." Loki skimmed through the text. It didn't say what the End's power was, it just warned against all contact, and told him that the End resided in the eye of fear. Loki wondered if the power he had felt a few days before had anything to do with this End. This could be his chance, he could have his revenge, and maybe, just maybe, he could make his mother proud, wherever she was. He could rule all nine realms. The thought excited him. If this End was as powerful as this paper said it was, then he decided he wanted it. Until then, he still had his own power, and now, thanks to his new "friend," he had an army. Albeit, it was a small one, but it would grow. Never would he let such a loud and violent being such as Thor to rule Asgard. The nine realms needed him. They just didn't know it yet.


	5. To Know Someone

Loki was gone, and Thor was furious. "How did he escape!?" He roared at no one in particular. Just then, a guard stepped forward with a neutral expression. "I let him out." "WHAT?" Thor's rage grew. "Why?" The man shrugged. "I wanted to." Thor, without hesitation, ordered the man to be arrested. When the man resisted, one of the guards ran him through with a spear. The man's look was a frozen look of fear. A ghostly blue substance began to leak from his ear, and the room went silent. The substance took the form of a ghostly creature with an impish smile and burning red eyes. "You've killed an innocent man, prince of thunder." Its voice was watery and gurgled with its words. "How does that make you feel?"

It vanished. Thor looked down at the dead guard, and whispered, "what have I done?"

* * *

Steve was, to say the least, not happy at all. Tony watched him pace back and forth in front of the door, scowling and clenching his fists. His shield leaned on the wall, but he kept glancing at it as if he wanted to use it.

The source of his anger? Nick Fury. He was currently having a private chat with Amaia, and Steve wasn't happy about it. Tony leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed, turning his head back and forth slowly as he watched Steve. "It usually takes a lot to get you all worked up like this," Tony mused. Steve frowned harder, "He's trying to turn an innocent woman into a test subject!" Tony replied calmly, "she might be dangerous. He's just trying to-" "Don't you tell me he's just trying to help! We both know that's bull!"

Tony raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Woah, Cap, that's the closest you've ever come to cursing. I'm rubbing off on you." Steve shot him a glare and continued with his pacing, ranting. "He just wants to use her power for his own gain. He's already got all the best heroes in the world, why does he need some girl that's too scared to walk on her own two feet?!"

Tony let out a soft sigh. This wasn't going to be easy. "You've known her for two and a half weeks, Cap. That lost puppy you found will grow into a big dog, and it wont be pretty." Steve stopped pacing and faced Tony with his arms crossed. "What do you know about lost puppies? You've never had one." Tony frowned a bit, "relax, Cap. She's scared to death of Fury anyway, you really think she'll go with him?"

Steve shook his head, his hands dropping. "You don't understand, Tony. She wants to help people. She's afraid, but she's got a good heart." Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well, would going with Fury really be so bad for her? He can help her learn to use her power to help people, and you can check up on her any time you want." Steve let out a deep sigh. "Tony, I want you to watch her tonight." Tony raised an eyebrow, but before he could spit out some snarky comment, Steve held up his hand to stop him and explained. "Listen to her talk. Read to her, she loves it. When she wakes up screaming, hold her hand, and be there when she doesn't remember it the next morning. Maybe then, you'll understand why Fury is going to break her whenever he gets the chance. She's got a good heart, but it's not a strong one. Remember," that was the closest to a sour look that Tony had ever seen from Steve, "it's not even beating."

* * *

"I want to help," Amaia declared in a soft voice to the man sitting across from her over the coffee cups. She loved coffee, so that was the drink of choice to keep their hands occupied while they discussed things. Nick Fury nodded, seemingly pleased. "It won't be easy, Miss Black, but I believe that the power you have can be used to help people." Amaia wasn't so sure, something felt off to her, but if this man could help her help others, then she would take it. He held out his hand, and she shook it delicately. Fury smiled in that strange way of his. "You'll be a hero, Miss Black."

Fury stood, standing a little awkwardly, favouring his right leg. "I'll send someone tomorrow to bring you to the helicarrier, and we'll begin your training." He bowed his head, "thank you for the coffee." She smiled at him, "you're welcome." He left the room. The door hadn't even closed when Mr. Rogers burst in, "what happened?" Amaia knew he wouldn't be happy with her answer and shifted nervously in her seat. Mr. Rogers blanked, "you didn't."

Mr. Stark put a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Cap, she's a big girl. She can make her own decisions." He sat down across from her, flashing a smile. "Don't worry, Blackbird," he had taken to calling her that. "Fury can help you be something great." Mr. Rogers crossed his arms. "I still wish you would wait until Thor returns." Mr. Stark shrugged. "He sure is taking his sweet time. Maybe he got caught up with something?"

Amaia stood and put a hand on Mr. Roger's arm. "I'll be fine, Mr. Rogers." Tony laughed softly, "aww, look at that. You're a real sweetheart." Amaia smiled at him, too. Mr. Rogers smiled and ruffled her hair. "Alright, but remember, you can always tell him that you want to leave."

Amaia wondered if that was actually true.

* * *

Tony knocked on the door. Steve had revealed himself to be serious about staying with Amaia that night, so there he was. He didn't see why she needed a babysitter. Sure, she was delicate, but she was a grown woman. Tony opened the door to find Amaia sitting by the window, drinking coffee. "Should you really be drinking that this late? You'll get nightmares." She turned to him and shrugged. "I do every night."

Tony flopped down in the plush chair by her bed. "How's your head doing?" That was the whole reason Steve had started staying with her in the first place: doctor's orders. She responded, "it feels better now, but it still stings if the bandage rubs the wrong way." Tony felt awkward, incredibly awkward, but he did his best to look comfortable.

She smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "Mr. Rogers told me that you're a hero, too." She seemed childish, yet there was something wise about her. Tony shrugged, "that's what they tell me." She tilted her head. "You don't think so? But you've helped so many people. You even stopped the alien invasion and saved them from a nuclear bomb!" Tony smiled a bit. "That doesn't make me a good person."

After that, conversation was much easier. It was clear that she admired Tony, and of course, that inflated his ego. He talked to her about the things he had invented, and she listened patiently, so that before they knew it, it was already midnight. Tony yawned, "it's late, Blackbird. Get some sleep." She laid down and settled under her covers. "Goodnight, Mr. Stark." "Tony is fine." "Oh, well, goodnight Mr. Tony." Tony smiled and turned off the light. He reclined back in the chair and dozed off. It was no king bed, but it was no lab desk either.

Tony woke to a hysteric scream right next to him. He nearly fell out of the chair trying to sit up and see what was happening. Amaia was writhing under the blankets, trying to throw them off. Tony briefly remembered Steve saying something about nightmares before he grabbed her arms. "Woah!" She was crying, and looked up at him with a look of terror. Her pale eye was wide and her lips were quivering.

"It's okay, you're safe," Tony let her go. She sat up, hugging herself and sniffling. Tony rubbed his eyes, yawning, "are you alright?" he asked. She shook her head. "I'm scared!" She sounded scared, her voice shaking and cracking through a stream of tears and sobs. Tony held her hand, "it's okay. Nothing's gonna hurt you." Her hand was soft, and very cold. It was small in his large, rough hands. In his tired and bewildered state, he realized what Steve meant.

This girl would be crushed in their world, and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it.


	6. Choices

Amaia hummed as the hot water washed over her. Showers were so relaxing, especially when mixed with the smell of the jasmine soap Ms. Potts had given her. She got out of the shower and dried off, her hair sticking up all over the place. She put her eyepatch on first and foremost. It was no longer a shabby piece of cloth tied with strings; Ms. Potts had given her a strip of black satin to tie around her head. It was much more comfortable and more effective.

Amaia put on some clothes and brushed her hair and teeth. It was the day that she was going to go to the SHIELD helicarrier to begin her training. She was anxious and excited. What would happen? What would she learn? Who would she meet? She wiggled a bit, her excitement overcoming her anxiety. She put on a pair of tennis shoes and left the bathroom after brushing her teeth.

A strong-looking woman with red hair and piercing eyes leaned on the wall outside of her door. She was dressed in black and had a gun holstered to her hip. Amaia cleared her throat, "are you Miss Romanoff?" The woman nodded, and smiled a bit. "You can call me Natasha. You're Amaia, correct?" Amaia nodded in affirmation. Natasha uncrossed her arms and stood straight. She was a few inches taller than Amaia. "Follow me."

Amaia followed Natasha down the hall and to the elevator. Amaia hadn't left the floor she was on since she arrived, so her anxiety returned to her. Natasha glanced over her shoulder, "Fury told me that you're a shy one." Amaia nodded. Natasha smiled in a weird way. "We can fix that." Amaia followed her into the elevator, feeling like her fate was sealed.

At first, she didn't see Mr. Rogers standing in the elevator until she bumped into him. "Oh! I'm sorry!" He was dressed in his Captain America uniform, and that brought a grin to her face. He patted her head, "it isn't too late to change your mind." Natasha rolled her eyes, "you can't keep her here forever, Steve. She's got potential, from what I've heard." Mr. Rogers scowled, but he didn't reply.

They exited the elevator at the ground floor. "Come on, lost puppy," Natasha motioned for Amaia to follow her. Amaia nodded politely to Mr. Rogers and followed Natasha. "You're pale," Natasha made conversation while they walked down the hall and out to the car. Amaia wasn't sure how to respond, but Natasha continued. "Not pasty, though. Just pale. It's pretty." Amaia smiled shyly, "thank you."

There was a man waiting in the car, other than the driver. Natasha held the door open for Amaia and got in behind her. The man introduced himself, "Amaia Black, I presume. I'm Bruce Banner." Amaia shook his head, "Mr. Stark told me about you! You're the Hulk, and he thinks you're almost as smart as he is." Mr. Banner laughed, "oh? We'll see about that." Amaia warmed up to him quickly.

They reached the docks, where a helicopter waited on a helipad. Amaia got out of the car, and she got anxious again. She had never seen a helicopter. Mr. Banner got on it, "don't worry. It's safe." Amaia tentatively got on and strapped in. Natasha sat on the other side of her. When the helicopter started up, Amaia clenched her fists until they were white and held her breath. What on earth had she gotten into?

* * *

"You're distracted today, Cap." Tony blasted another red ninja away from him. They were currently protecting a powerful politician from members of The Hand, a villainous group of ninjas that served Hydra. Steve punched one in the face and took a few steps back. He didn't reply. Tony rolled his eyes and let out a bigger blast. "Are you worried about her?" They both knew who he was talking about.

"They sent Natasha to pick her up." Steve finally said as the ninjas fell back. Tony laughed, "Black Widow? They want her trained, not dead!" Steve frowned a bit, he clearly didn't think it was funny. Tony sighed, "look, Steve, she's not a kid." "Not physically," Steve replied. Tony retorted, "not mentally, either. She isn't immature, she's just... lost."

"I know." Steve sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know." He repeated, trying to come up with something else to say. Tony put an iron hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine. Banner's there with her." Steve threw his shield into a nearby tree. "Fantastic! So when Natasha is finished breaking her spirit, he can crush her, literally!" Tony shook his head. "You're overreacting, mama bear." Steve glared at him and wrenched his shield from the tree. The tree fell over. "Tony," Tony got worried. Steve only used his real name when he was seriously upset. "Do you remember Quicksilver?"

Tony was speechless for a moment. He gulped, "yes." His voice wavered, and he hated himself for it. Steve looked up, peering through the tree cover at the overcast sky. "He was scared, too. He didn't know it, and he didn't show it, but he was scared. They both were. However, his desire to protect his sister overwhelmed his fear." "And he paid for her life with his," Tony finished. "Steve, Amaia isn't-" "Yes, she is!" Steve turned to face him. "No, they aren't the same, but they are similar. What if she-" he couldn't finish.

"Ends up like him?" Tony looked away. "I won't lie to you, Steve. It's very likely that will happen. She's delicate, she's afraid, and she wants to be useful. No, I can't lie to you about that. But Steve," he headed back towards the bunker where the man they were protecting was waiting. "It's not your choice to make."


	7. Bruises

The SHIELD helicarrier was more massive than Amaia could ever have imagined. She felt very small when she stepped off of the helicopter onto the bay. To her, it was as big as the world. She knew that wasn't true, but it sure seemed that way. She had to stand still for a minute, eye wide, just taking in the monstrosity of the floating fortress. "So this is what the ants on the windowsill feel like..." She murmured to herself.

"It is rather impressive, is it not?" A new voice, a deep, godly voice, sounded behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Thor landing behind her. He smiled warmly at her, but she could tell he was worried about something.

"Thor," Dr. Banner greeted him. Thor shook his hand. Natasha crossed her arms. "If you're finished with formalities, we have work to do." Thor grew serious, "I need to speak to Fury before you do anything." Amaia perked up, "did you learn something?" He didn't look at her and replied curtly, "that I did." She was going to ask what it was, but Natasha ushered her along.

They came to a large windowless room that was dimly lit and seemingly empty. Thor had gone off to talk to Fury after telling Natasha and Banner something that Amaia hadn't overheard. Natasha stood in front of Amaia, and Dr. Banner sat off to the side to observe. "You have to learn first to fight without your power," Natasha stated firmly. Amaia was relieved. "It won't be easy, especially without depth perception. Now, I'm going to try to hit you. Dodge me."

Before Amaia had a chance to respond, Natasha stepped forward and her fist flew out, striking Amaia in the chest and knocking her down. Amaia grunted as she hit the ground. She took a few deep breaths, "that hurt." "Of course it hurt, but a real enemy wouldn't stop there. You have to be able to defend yourself before you can take the offensive. Understand?"

By the end of a two-hour long session, Amaia could successfully dodge Natasha's punches and occasionally a kick. However, it was not without a cost. She was covered in bruises, dark purple against her white skin. Her body ached and she just wanted to lie down and sleep.

"Time for a break. Ten minutes." Amaia groaned, such a short time? This was going to be hard, to say the least. Amaia caught the water bottle tossed to her and drank it slowly, sitting down and laying on her back. She closed her eyes for a moment, and found that she could see something pale and blue, though the vision was not her own.

* * *

Fury was looking out the front window of the helicarrier, a scowl on his face. Thor stood beside him, with a similar look. "So Loki has escaped." Fury restated the conversation. "And you believe that the girl is dangerous." Thor glanced at him. "Yes. I told Natasha to train her without use of her powers for now." Fury nodded, "that is acceptable. I sent Dr. Banner with them to supervise." Thor looked back out the window.

"Captain America is extremely unhappy with me," Fury attempted to change the subject. Thor laughed softly, "I would imagine so." Fury smiled, just a bit. "We'll train her without her power until she is good enough to be sent out on missions. I'll have our agents keep an eye out for Loki. Thank you for warning me, Thor." Thor shook his hand. "I must be going. I believe Loki has something of importance. Keep a close eye on Miss Black, as well." Fury rubbed his chin, "I will."

Thor walked out of the control room of the helicarrier, down to where Iron Man and Captain America were unloading with a shaken politician. The Hand and Hydra had been active lately. He expected them to be arguing, or at least bickering, but they were both eerily silent, and the agents around them noticed. Thor greeted them, "Captain America, man of iron, how fare you?" Steve made little attempt to answer. Tony rolled his eyes, "someone's pouting."

Thor chuckled, despite himself. "I hope your reason to pout vanishes, Captain." Steve brushed dirt off his chest. "I doubt it will." Thor cleared his throat. "When you have a moment, I wish to speak with you both." He could see that they knew his news likely wasn't good.

* * *

It was late into the night by the time Natasha decided to call it a day. Amaia could hardly stand on her own two feet. There was a new man watching with Dr. Banner. Natasha introduced him as Clint Barton. He seemed indifferent about Natasha's rough training, but he flashed her a smile when he was introduced. Amaia weakly smiled back, then wondered how she was going to get home. That question was soon answered when Dr. Banks entered the room. "Miss Black, how are you feeling?" Her look was enough. He smiled sympathetically, "would you come with me? We've got a room for you where you can sleep and we can keep an eye on you." Amaia was too exhausted to argue.

She trudged along behind Dr. Banks down the hall. The room he led her to was small, with only a bed and a nightstand, but she didn't care. She collapsed into bed and let him put a few pads on her head that would monitor her brain activity while she slept. After that, she fell asleep within a few seconds of closing her eyes.

* * *

Thor let out a soft breath as he sat with Dr. Banks, Bruce, and Tony. Tony had sent Steve home for the night so he wouldn't fret too much about the situation, though he was likely fretting anyway. They were watching the monitors hooked up to Miss Black, and everything seemed to be normal, but Tony looked uneasy. Dr. Banks noticed. "Mr. Stark, you needn't worry. With her state of exhaustion, she likely won't have dreams bad enough to wake her." Tony shook his head, "she has the same nightmare every night. She shouldn't be alone." Thor joked lightly, "I'm surprised that you aren't complaining about having better things to do."

"You said it yourself, goldilocks. There's a chance that she could wipe us all out. I think that's pretty important." Tony flashed his signature cocky smirk. "I'll decide when I have better things to do." He glanced at the clock. "It's almost two o'clock. Anyone want some coffee?" All three raised their hands. Tony chuckled and went over to the pot to make some.

Just then, the steady beeping on the monitor of brain waves began to pick up, beeping louder and faster. The camera in the room showed Miss Black beginning to squirm in her sleep. Tony paused, watching with an intense frown. The machine started screaming about the same time Amaia did. "Shit!" Tony shouted and ran for the door, but Thor was ahead of him. Dr. Banner watched the brain monitor, while Dr. Banks stared intently at the camera feed. Amaia was shrieking, trying to get out of the tangle of sheets. She reached up and ripped off her eyepatch, and Dr. Banks saw it. The eye that seemed to hold the universe. That was the last thing he ever saw before he fell over, dead, with blood leaking from his eye sockets. His eyes were gone. The camera feed went dark, and the entire ship shuddered.

Dr. Banner, needless to say, was quite startled.


	8. Actions Have Consequences

Thor burst into the room, where Amaia had successfully freed herself from the sheets and was curled up on the floor, her hand covering her eye. The satin ribbon was cast aside on the floor. Thor dropped his hammer and knelt next to her, gathering her small body in his arms. He hadn't realized from the camera feed how many bruises covered her, and he could only see her arms and head. She clung to him with her free hand, trembling violently and sobbing. She was terrified.

"It is alright, little one," Thor murmured. Comforting someone wasn't his forte, but he definitely wasn't going to subject her to Stark. Speak of the devil, Tony finally reached the room, breathing heavily. It had been quite the run from the lab to the room. "Holy shit," Tony murmured, but he wasn't looking at them. He was looking up. Thor noticed the massive hole in the helicarrier above their heads. There was no debris.

"Stark, the ribbon," Thor got his attention. Tony nodded, gathering his wits, and brought the ribbon over. He tied it around Amaia's head while Thor rocked her. Tony's face seemed grim, "I tried to tell them." Thor didn't respond. Amaia was trembling less and she wasn't sobbing anymore. Instead she sniffled softly and clung to Thor's shirt. "Steve is gonna fucking kill me," Tony murmured, kneeling on the other side of her. Thor shrugged, "you couldn't have prevented this, man of iron."

"I'm sorry," Amaia whispered, her voice quivering. Tony shushed her, "it's not your fault, blackbird." He patted her hair gently. "Jesus, you're covered in bruises. Natasha was rough, wasn't she?" Amaia nodded, wiping her tears on her arm. "Yeah, but I can dodge one of her punches now." Tony smiled a bit, "good job." Thor had never seen him be so gentle. In any other circumstance, it would have been unnerving.

"Don't tell Mr. Rogers," she sniffed. Tony chuckled, "nah, I'd like to remain alive, thanks." Thor set her on the ground and she hugged her knees to her chest. Tony stood, "come on, blackbird. You need to go back to sleep." Thor raised an eyebrow, "is that a good idea?" Tony nodded, "she only does this once a night." Amaia stood and Tony led her off. A few moments later, Dr. Banner burst into the room. His eyes were wide. "Holy shit, what happened in here?" Thor almost laughed.

"Dr. Banks is dead," Banner quickly changed the subject. Thor paused. "What?" "Dr. Banks, he's dead, and his eyes, they just vanished." Thor grimaced, "that is not good. It's probably best that Amaia doesn't find out about this." Banner agreed.

* * *

Loki took a deep breath of the air of Midgard. "It's good to be back in business." He stood on a skyscraper overlooking Moscow. A man stood behind him, held in place by two men who were controlled by the beings working for Loki. They were ghostly blue beings, called Eduki, and they could possess any being with weakness in it's mind, with the exception of an Elder or someone in possession of an infinity stone. The man being held was named Atticus Foster, and he was a very important man. This was the man who had united the last remaining fragments of Hydra, and had convinced The Hand to join under Hydra. Arguably, he was the next Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker.

And now he was completely at Loki's mercy. "Mr. Foster," Loki began, turning around. The man's face held no fear, but the being floating beside Loki grinned wickedly. "Mr. Foster, I have not brought you here to harm you. I simply wish to strike a bargain." Mr. Foster's steely grey eyes narrowed. "This is not how you negotiate in our world, god of mischief." Loki was pleased with the man's audacity. It would serve him well in the future.

"You are bent on world domination, correct?" Loki walked around him slowly. The trenchcoat that Mr. Foster wore was extremely expensive, and suited him nicely. Mr. Foster nodded, "I am, but I would share it with no one." Loki stopped in front of him. "Do you see that blue things over there, Mr. Foster. It's either you work with me, or that will possess your body. Either way, Hydra will be under my command."

"My second will know something is up. He will stop you." Loki laughed at this, "then I will possess him, too." With that, he motioned to the creature, who approached Mr. Foster. The fear in Mr. Foster's eyes showed through, and the creature leaned down. In a flash, it was gone, and the men released Mr. Foster. He stood, brushing himself off. "Your wish is my command." Loki smirked. "Excellent. First, we take Beijing. You have two months to prepare." Mr. Foster bowed, and he left. Loki sent another Eduki with him to possess the second. He would take no chances.

Now he just had to find The End, and the universe would be his.


	9. Pleasant Change

Tony had done his best to keep Steve busy, but after three weeks, he could no longer stop the man from going to see Amaia. Tony knew that Steve wouldn't like what he saw. Amaia had fresh bruises every day, though the number received continued to lessen, and that day, Natasha had started with defending against weapons. So Tony just happened to walk in with Steve just as Natasha smacked Amaia across the floor with a wooden baseball bat. That went over just about as well as one would expect.

"Mr. Rogers! It's okay!" Amaia scrambled to her feet, hardly affected by the heavy blow. She grabbed his arm before he could throw his shield at Natasha in his rage. "Mr. Rogers, this is part of practice." His focus wasn't on her. "She's just starting, Natasha! This is too much!" Natasha crossed her arms, "please, when I started out, it was a thousand times worse. This is a mosquito to my tiger. I'm going easy on her."

They argued for hours, until finally Bruce intervened. "She's got to be prepared for the real world, Steve. Hydra's been especially active recently, since someone united the factions. We can't afford to play nice. Besides, look at her. She's fine." "She's covered head to toe in bruises!" Steve growled. Banner crossed his arms. "She isn't complaining." "She doesn't know how to complain!"

"Mama bear," Tony put a hand on his shoulder. "Think of your first day of military training. If it had been easy, you would have been awfully disappointed. Just because you're small doesn't mean you should be treated any differently." Steve glared, but Tony had a point. Amaia, who had been standing to the side quietly, said, "I want to help, Mr. Rogers." Despite himself, he smiled just a bit at her. "Are you sure this isn't too much?" She nodded quickly.

"She's stronger than you think, Steve." Natasha set the bat down. "She could easily catch even one of your punches. She's not human. Why don't you try?" Tony could see that Steve didn't want to throw a punch at his little lost puppy, but Amaia seemed excited. She didn't even react to hearing she wasn't human; that was made clear the first night with the mirror.

Tony watched as Steve and Amaia faced each other. Steve was hesitant with his first punch, and Amaia stepped to the side. She frowned, "come on, Mr. Rogers." The next punch had a little more heart to it, but still she stepped out of the way.

"She's biologically 23," Bruce told Tony as they watched. "But her biorhythms are almost perfectly spaced, the waves are even. Her brainwaves have a pattern similar to Thor's. Natasha's right, she's not human, but she's not a god like Thor is, either." Tony nodded, watching as Steve's blows got stronger. Finally, Amaia stopped moving. She braced her legs and held out one hand to the next punch. She stopped it as if it were a blow from a child with a resounding clap. Steve seemed impressed.

"Can we get back to training now?" Natasha picked up the bat again. Steve leaned against the wall beside Tony. Tony smirked a bit, "feeling better, Cap?" Steve didn't reply, but there was a smile on his face. Amaia quickly adjusted to the bat. However, when she grabbed it to stop it, it cracked, and Amaia got a splinter.

Mama bear was back in business.

* * *

The second month passed, and Natasha determined that Amaia was ready to go out on a mission. In two short months, she had learned enough combat to be able to fight with the others. Of course, Mr. Rogers insisted that he go with her on her first mission. It was nothing major, just clearing out some members of The Hand from a warehouse in Chicago. Amaia was excited as she sat in her seat in the hovercraft, with Mr. Rogers, Dr. Banner, Hawkeye, and Natasha. Mr. Stark had been too busy working on some project of his to go along.

Amaia was sitting between Hawkeye and Mr. Rogers. She and Hawkeye got along well, and she had even learned some sign language from him that she used while she talked. He refused to be called anything but Hawkeye by her, and she was fine with that. She liked his low-key sass. She couldn't shoot a bow because of her depth perception issues, so she didn't have much to learn combat-wise from him, but she didn't mind. Just like with the others, she enjoyed his company.

A lot had changed in two months. Mr. Rogers wasn't as protective of her, but they had grown closer. She made bad jokes with Mr. Stark when he wasn't busy, and she liked to listen to Dr. Banner when he went off on one of his scientific rants. She never understood a word he said, but his enthusiasm made her happy, and he liked having someone who didn't tell him to speak English every five seconds.

She hadn't seen much of Thor, since he was often busy searching for Loki (who seemed to have vanished without a trace), but he liked the way she made coffee, and she loved to hear his stories and legends.

She had met Wanda Maximoff, but usually they sat in silence. She had also met the Falcon, but she had only spoken with him twice. She and Natasha got along as master and apprentice. Natasha was rough on her, criticizing her often, but Amaia appreciated it. She wasn't as skittish and afraid as she had been, and she certainly had built up some lean muscles. Natasha had made her wear tight clothes (and introduced her to the thong, since let's be honest, boy-shorts in tight clothes is just a disaster) so they wouldn't get in the way, and she looked much less childish. In fact, she had a womanly figure much like Natasha's, except she was shorter and she was a little more slender. Natasha had told her (out of earshot of anyone else, of course, lest Mr. Rogers find out) that she would teach Amaia how to use seduction to her advantage when she was ready.

Amaia wiggled in her seat as the hovercraft landed on a private roof in Chicago. She wore black like Natasha, which made her white skin appear to glow, especially when they got out of the vehicle and into the moonlight. She kept quiet, but she had a grin on her face. Finally, she was going to do something worthwhile. Much better than making a hole in the side of the helicarrier.

She followed Mr. Rogers off the roof and through the streets to the warehouse. Then she went with Natasha up to a window while Mr. Rogers went to the front. Natasha whispered, "are you ready?" She nodded. "Remember, follow the plan, and only use the knife when you have to. Bloodless kills are much better." Natasha looked at her expectantly. Amaia smiled, "go for the neck!" Natasha patted her head, and they crept along the beams in the window.

Amaia went along to the left while Natasha went to the right. She couldn't judge the distance down very well, but Natasha held up two fingers, then 5. So about 25 feet down. Amaia got in position over a Hydra guard standing in front of a tank of a glowing blue substance connected to a smaller tank of a clear substance. Amaia could see the blue smokey stuff moving around, as if it were alive. She looked away from it and focused on the guard.

She could see Hawkeye peering in through the skylight. She knew Dr. Banner was standing on an adjacent roof, ready to go if things got rough. They didn't want to use him unless necessary. They wanted some of these men alive for questioning. Amaia was just supposed to knock out the guard below her; she had a small syringe of tranquilizer, but anyone that attacked her beyond that was fair game. She waited in silence, watching the guard.

Captain America burst in. Amaia jumped, landing on the guard and driving the syringe into his neck before he could shoot. No one noticed her yet, since they were busy firing at Captain America. She darted forward, snapping the neck of the man in front of her. It was different than practicing on a dummy. It was weird, but it was almost satisfying. She kicked in the adam's apple of another. Hawkeye took out one coming up behind her.

The battle was over as quickly as it had begun. They had captured all four targets and eliminated the rest without letting any escape, and they hadn't needed the Hulk. The mission was a success. Amaia had a grin on her face as she brushed dust from the beams off of her knees. Natasha approached her, "well done. Your decent was sloppy and uncontrolled, try spreading your arms a bit instead of tucking them close to your body. You'll also be able to react to changes faster. Other than that, you did just fine." Amaia's grin brightened at the praise.

Dr. Banner entered the building, now that it was safe. "You administered the tranquilizer?" Amaia nodded at her victim while Natasha motioned to the other three. Mr. Rogers checked to make sure the others were neutralized, and Hawkeye joined them on the ground. Amaia was extremely pleased that her first mission had gone so well.

That is, until the lights went out, and there was a figure in the door. He appeared to have curled horns on his head, and a scepter in his hand. The top of the scepter glowed purple. Amaia could see a faint gold tint to the horns.

She heard Mr. Roger's low growl. "Loki."


	10. Bitter Defeat

Thor was having a wonderful day, until he received word from The Collector to come see him immediately. When Thor arrived, The Collector was calm as always, but he did not offer tea. "God of thunder, you must be warned. The purple infinity stone of power has been stolen from the Nova Corps at Xandar. Apparently it was an inside job, but the agent didn't appear to remember anything. I-" Thor interrupted him. "Was there blue smoke at all?" The Collector seemed surprised. "Yes."

"Possession. It was not the agent's fault." Thor had done some research. The Collector smiled, "ah, yes, Eduki. How did you know?" Thor clenched his fist around his hammer, "they're working for Loki. If Loki has the power stone, then I need to get back to Midgard immediately. Thank you, Collector." The Collector smiled politely, "you're very welcome. Next time, bring it here, will you?" Thor agreed, and he was off.

* * *

"It's good to see you again, Captain." The man's voice was smooth as honey. Mr. Rogers lifted his shield, tensing for an attack, but the man, Loki, laughed a bit. "Relax." Mr. Rogers said calmly, "you surely can't expect to face us alone." Loki stepped out of the moon's light, so Amaia could make out his features. She found him to be handsome, but he made her nervous. "No, I remember the last time I went against Hulk," Dr. Banner snickered.

"But this time, I am not alone." He held out his scepter. Amaia felt something tugging at her, and her eyes locked onto the glowing purple stone. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, but the scepter's foot hit the floor, and they were all blown back by a wave of unstoppable force. The windows of the warehouse shattered, and Amaia covered her head while glass rained down on her.

Mr. Rogers was the first to get to his feet. Dr. Banner was next. Amaia had never seen his transformation, and it was a terrifying sight. He raced at Loki, but with another wave from the scepter, he was blown back into the wall. Amaia hit the wall hard, letting out a soft whimper. "Oh, you have a new pet." Amaia looked up to see Loki watching her. "Why the eyepatch, darling? You have a lovely face." He lowered his voice. "What are you hiding?"

"You leave her alone!" Mr. Rogers was up and attacking again. His shield withstood the first wave sent at him, but he flew back with the second. "Enough, pathetic soldier. I am not here to fight. I am simply here to warn you. I suppose even you can guess my purpose." There was no response. Amaia struggled to her feet, wincing as glass dug into her skin through her clothes. Loki went over to the large containers, which hadn't shattered, and released the blue smoke into the air. Amaia saw that they were actually live creatures, and they floated away out the door. Loki looked at her again with a wicked smirk. "I'm coming for you, and vengeance wont be pretty."

* * *

When Thor saw the prisoners being unloaded, he expected victorious faces to follow. Instead he saw blood, glass, and bitter defeat. Confused, he approached Captain America. "What came to pass?" The response was, "Loki." Thor immediately called everyone together and told them about the stolen infinity stone. He noticed that Amaia wasn't paying attention. After dispersing everyone and assuring Captain America that he would take her to the infirmary to get the glass removed, he asked her, "what troubles you, little one?" She looked up at him, her pale eye fearful. "It called to me."

Thor led her down the hall. "What do you mean?" She picked a piece of glass out of her arm. "It called to me, I felt like the purple was tugging me in." They entered the infirmary. Thor patted her head gently. "Don't worry. It cannot harm you." She shook her head, "no, it was like how a young child would call to a big brother."

She sat down on the cot and let the nurse pick glass out of her arm. "It's like... they want to be protected." She looked at him, her pale eye sad. "They're tired, Thor. So tired of being used. They're ready." Thor asked, "ready for what?" Though he suspected he already knew the answer. "Ready for the end."


	11. Black Eye Burning

Hey guys, thanks to you all who have followed and favourited the story! I really appreciate the support, and the review I got really made me want to work on this story more! Feel free to let me know what you think about it so far, and I'm always open to suggestions. Also, here's a long chapter to make up for the previous short ones.

* * *

It hit Tony one day, out of the blue. He was out, fighting members of Hydra and the Hand as if he were simply out on a stroll. It hit him as he watched Amaia, who had been officially given the title 'Blackbird', fight along side Captain America. They were invading a base in India, deep in a thick jungle. After hours of being thoroughly lost, they had literally stumbled upon the fortress.

Anyway, as he watched Amaia fight, he noticed that she kept glancing at Steve, and Tony began to think. He blasted the head of another man, and he recalled how Amaia viewed the man who had saved her from being hit by a semi truck. Yes, he realized, she might not know it, but the little blackbird had a crush.

It was simple enough. They were both young people, both unique people, Tony could see it. Initially, he would have thought it impossible, but lately Steve had become less of a mama bear and more like a close friend.

Tony chuckled to himself, propelling himself through a wall into the next room. Natasha likely wouldn't be pleased; she was harsh on Amaia, and such a relationship would be distracting. Tony was pretty sure that Thor wouldn't be happy, either. He had a fondness for the young woman that had stemmed from concern and bloomed into friendship, and Tony had noticed that Thor often had a red tint to his cheeks when she made him coffee.

"My babies are growing up," Tony said to himself as he slaughtered a man holding what appeared to be a dangerous weapon. His mind then wandered; they hadn't heard anything from Loki since the night of the warehouse raid. He wondered what the troublemaker was planning.

"Oh well," he said aloud as he backed up out of Hulk's way. "Nothing to do but wait, and kick ass." "Are you cursing again?" Steve walked around him, giving him a disapproving look. Amaia smiled at him as she scaled a wall into a room above. Tony couldn't help but to smile, he liked being part of a team, as much as he denied it. He almost hoped that it would never end. Of course, all good things have to come to an end.

He didn't realize how true that was.

* * *

"Frost giants," Loki said as he paced a lavish room in a hotel in Beijing. He had been pondering the most dramatic way to crush Beijing and bring it under his control, without wasting men, and he finally had it. "Frost giants would be perfect." All he had to do was to convince them, which should be easy enough. He was one of them, after all. "Well, gentlemen, we have a plan."

He glanced at the ancient parchment that he had carefully coated in resin so it wouldn't crumble. "And you, my sweet," he traced his finger over the surface of the page. "You're next."

* * *

Amaia hummed softly to herself as she measured out the coffee into the machine. Thor was sitting at a table across from Mr. Rogers, and they were sharing some cookies. They were in the Stark tower, and it was mid-afternoon. Tony was working on something and would join them later on. Thor was talking about unusual movement within the frost giant ranks, and was expressing his concern to Mr. Rogers. Amaia turned to face them, leaning on the counter.

After a few minutes, the coffee was brewed and she began preparing it, "Thor," she looked over her shoulder. "Are you feeling sweet today?" She giggled softly. Thor grinned at her, "especially so, Miss Amaia." She put in three lumps of sugar instead of two. "And you, Mr. Rogers?" "Two for me, Amaia. Thank you." She nodded and stirred in the cream. She brought two steaming mugs over and set them in front of the two men, who began sipping at it. She sat down between them.

"You know, Amaia, you may call me Steve," Mr. Rogers sounded almost shy and busied himself with drinking coffee. Thor raised an eyebrow, but Amaia simply nodded. "I'll try to remember to." She nibbled on a cookie, more to have something to focus on than to eat it.

Mr. Stark entered the room, grease smeared over his hands. "You're all quiet. That's not good." Thor waved his hand dismissively, "merely a pause in conversation, man of iron." Just then, a phone rang. Mr. Stark pulled the cellphone out of his pocket, "hello?"

After a moment, he said something to Jarvis and the phone call was put on the speakers in the room. "Go ahead, Fury." Mr. Stark sat down with the other three. Fury came over the speakers, "you four need to head to Beijing immediately. There's already a hovercraft on the way to get you. The other heroes are busy; there have been attacks all over the world by Hydra and the Hand, but now we've received word that Beijing is under attack by frost giants and you're the only ones who can respond. You have exactly two minutes until the hovercraft lands on your roof." The call ended. After a few seconds of silence, the four jumped into action.

Amaia ran down the hall and into a room. She ripped her suit off a hanger. It was a black suit, tight fitting, with belts around the waist and crossing over her chest and back, each holding an array of knives, needles, poisons, and little bombs. She quickly put it on and made sure her eye ribbon was tight. She pulled on her boots, and she strapped something to each arm. That something was a set of gliding wings that looked like a Blackbird's, a personal gift from Fury.

Amaia didn't even know what a frost giant was, but it didn't matter. It was time to save Beijing.

* * *

"So that's what a frost giant is." Amaia peered through the open floor of the hovercraft at the massive creatures rampaging through the city of Beijing. Amaia unstrapped herself from her seat and jumped, letting her wings loose. She glided down to land on one of the beasts' shoulder. Her wings retracted and she drove a dagger into it's neck, where a vein should have been.

It swatted at her as if she were a mosquito. However, Iron Man's beams had a bit more of an effect, and Thor took them down easily, so Amaia did her best to stay out of the way, instead going in and leading the people in the buildings to safety with Captain America. After an hour, they had cleared the sector, and it seemed that all the frost giants in the city were headed their way, from a SHIELD agent's report, likely to deal with the heroes. It was raining then, and the slight drizzle was quickly turning to a blinding torrent. Amaia ran out into the street as the building she was in collapsed under a massive club. She looked up to see that same club headed right toward her. Lightning flashed behind the giant, so all she saw was the silhouette.

Like a startled deer, she just stared, unknowing of the misfortune about to befall her. She was naive then, and she was afraid.

There was a flash of colour, and Amaia closed her eye. A loud boom was heard, the thunder drowning out everything, and Amaia realized she hadn't been crushed. She opened her eye to see Captain America standing over her, arms straining. His shield had stopped the blow. "Get out of the way, Amaia!" He shouted. Amaia didn't have to be told twice. She stumbled away from the creature, and Captain America soon joined her. "Are you alright?" He asked, wiping a bit of debris from her cheek. She nodded, breathless. "I'm fine." The giant was following them, letting out a thundering roar of fury. The earth shook with each step.

"It's gotta have a weak spot somewhere," Amaia began, bouncing on her feet nervously. It searched for them; fortunately it hadn't spotted them yet under the overhang. Just then, it started to rain. Amaia shivered a bit. Captain America said, "I'd ask Thor, but he's a bit busy at the moment." Amaia smiled despite herself. "Was that a joke, Captain?" "Don't get used to it."

"The eyes!" Realization hit Amaia like a truck. No one liked to be poked in the eye, and Amaia certainly knew her eyes were important. "Captain, keep it busy!" She ran out from under the overhang. Captain America followed her, banging on his shield to get the beast's attention. Amaia slicked back her hair, which clung to her face in the rain, and wiped water out of her eye. She began to climb the giant, trying not to be noticed until she reached the top. She clung to a scraggly beard as another flash of lightning lit up the sky. The noise of the boom shook Amaia to the core, but she kept climbing. She used a strand of hair as a rope to swing from, and landed squarely on the bridge of the giant's nose.

Well, if it hadn't noticed the girl climbing on his beard a moment before, he certainly noticed her now.

Amaia drove a dagger deep into the beady eye of the giant, and it let out a pained roar, earning the attention of the nearby giants not busy with Thor and Ironman. Thor was using the storm to his advantage, drawing in lightning and using it to defeat giants. Amaia jumped down from the giant, using her wings to glide safely to the street below. Captain America was soon beside her. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire," he motioned to the giants crowding around them. Amaia gulped, shivering in the rain. Of course, it was rain over Beijing, so the chemicals in it made her skin tingle. The giants loomed over them, blocking the other two heroes from their vision. Amaia was scared. There didn't appear to be a way out.

"Get them to fight each other," Captain America shouted over the rain, which was now something akin to a typhoon. Amaia glanced at him, then realized what he meant. If she was careful, maybe she could get them to hit each other while they tried to get her. She ran forward, barely dodging a blow from a massive battle ax, and jumped up, climbing up the first giant. Sure enough, another swung at her, hitting the giant in the knee right where she had been moments before. The giant roared and crumbled, and Amaia landed on its head. Another massive ax soon took care of that.

A clap of thunder shook the ground, and Amaia stumbled. Fortunately, Captain America was there to pull her out of the way of a club swinging down. She shivered again, feeling unnaturally cold. That was only one giant out of a horde of them, and she was already exhausted from clearing out buildings. "Steve!" She shouted desperately over the rain and looked up at him. He had a grim look on his masked face.

Ironman fell from the sky, landing harshly a few meters away. Amaia jogged over to him, kneeling down in front of him. He was conscious, but his suit was no longer functional, and his left leg appeared to have been crushed by a blow from a giant. The horde was too much for even Thor, and he soon landed beside them, looking exhausted and utterly defeated. The storm began to fade rapidly, settling for a miserable downpour, no longer an electrical storm.

"Well look what we have here." Amaia heard a vaguely familiar voice behind them, opposite to the frost giants. She looked up to see Loki flying, watching them as a lion would its prey. Thor raised his hammer, but Loki shook his head and waved his scepter. Thor fell to his hands and knees. "You are finished, _brother_." He spat the word. "This world will fall, as will the next." He laughed wickedly, "you will never rule Asgard!" The frost giants roared, seemingly victorious. The sound was deafening and Amaia covered her ears. Steve rested a hand on her shoulder. Amaia looked at him, eye wide, and saw that he looked gentle and almost apologetic. There was some other emotion, but she couldn't identify it. She smiled sweetly at him. Were they really going to die like this?

 _No._ A voice seemed to whisper in her ear, but it was inside her head. _There is still hope._ She turned her back to Loki and faced the giants closing in. She made sure the other three heroes were behind her, and she reached up, pulling her wet hair off the back of her head. She untied her ribbon and let it fall to the ground. A scream was ripped from her lungs, but it was not her own. Her black eye burned, and the world went silent.


	12. Distraction

Loki loved being completely victorious, but this was something else entirely. Not only did he take Beijing, the nasty city that it was, but here was his own brother practically kneeling at his feet. Ironman certainly seemed to be out of action, and Captain America and the girl, Blackbird, were on the brink of exhaustion.

Loki raised an eyebrow. The look on Captain America's face was familiar; it was a look he had seen many times. It was the look of a man in love. He noticed it on Thor's face, too. It was only for a brief second as the god turned his head, but it was there. Loki wondered what was so special about her. His brother had a weakness for humans, but Loki had never known the Captain to have such a weakness, not since before he was frozen. "How interesting," Loki said to himself.

It didn't matter. The four 'heroes' in front of him were practically dead. Loki's victory was certain, and the deafening roar of the giants brought a wicked grin to his face. This world was his. Without Thor, the rest of the Avengers didn't stand a chance.

Blackbird began to move. Loki at first thought she might throw something at him, but to his surprise, she turned her back to him. Didn't she know that was dangerous? His scepter began to vibrate in his hand; the stone it carried glowed brighter. Loki's eyes widened as she untied the eyepatch around her eye. Could it be?

Of course. She had always been so naive, so afraid. "The End resides in the eye of fear." Those words left Loki's lips in a whisper, just before he was blown back into the wall behind him. He hit the ground hard, his breath knocked out of him. His scepter landed beside him, and he made an effort to clutch it, though no one was around to take it from him. His ears were ringing.

After a moment, Loki raised his head slowly. He was unharmed, he was a god after all, but he was still winded. The sight before him only added to that effect. There she was, the little blackbird, kneeling in front of nothing. There were no corpses, no remains, nothing. There was an arm to the far left where her circular beam hadn't reached, but that was it. The street below was gone, with a ditch carved out, as if a massive stone had rolled through and taken everything with it. The frost giants who had been shouting their victory to the heavens mere moments before no longer existed.

Loki clutched his scepter tighter. The gem was singing to her, but she hardly seemed to notice. She fell forward, her hand covering her eye. Her companions were laying flat on the ground, covering their heads (except Ironman, who just had his visor down). Thor was the first to rise, and Loki had never seen him so tender as the moment when he lifted the fragile girl into his arms and tied the ribbon back over her eye. He had a look of mute shock on his face. Of course he did, how could he have known what he was harboring? Even if he had known, he had no true idea.

Loki got to his feet. He knew when he had lost. Lose the battle, win the war, as the saying goes. Loki retreated in a dignified manner, walking calmly down the street away from the scene. He smirked, "with that sort of power, imagine the possibilities! Of course, such a power had to be used sparingly, but in Loki's experience, threats were just as powerful as actions, if not more so. Even if she hadn't been so powerful, the affection she held from Thor and the Captain would be very useful indeed. Loki knew what his next step was. He had to get the girl. When he did, the universe was as good as his.

* * *

Once again, Tony found himself watching Steve pace with a look of frustration because of Fury and his little lost puppy, though this time, the circumstances were a little different. Fury wasn't the only one on the other side of the door. Steve didn't seem to be too happy with the fact that Thor was allowed in and he wasn't. Also, Tony was on crutches until his nanobots finished putting his leg back together, which would take roughly two more days.

"Relax, Cap, Thor knows more about this sort of thing than we do." Tony knew that Steve was just jealous, but he doubted that Steve knew. Steve sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know, but she's not some sort of anomaly to be poked and prodded at. She's a person." Tony stopped him. "She's not being poked and prodded at. For once, Fury is trying to help someone." Tony could see how conflicted Steve was. Tony grimaced, he wasn't good at these things.

Fury opened the door. "She's awake." There was no stopping Steve then; he pushed into the room, "Amaia?" Tony stepped in behind him. Amaia was sitting up on her bed, rubbing her eye. Thor was sitting beside her, looking concerned. Steve knelt in front of her, "Amaia, are you alright? How are you feeling?" Tony decided it was best just to sit back and watch. Amaia nodded. "I'm fine Mr. Ro-" She stopped herself and smiled a bit. "Steve. I'm fine." She seemed to be perfectly aware of what had happened, unlike her nightmares, which she had no memory of.

Dr. Banner entered the room. He had dark circles under his eyes. Hydra and the Hand just kept attacking different places, and every member of SHIELD was worn thin. It seemed that they never ran out of people. "Good news," he began with a sarcastic smile. "New Delhi is under attack. Reports of red ninjas and a large blue giant." Thor stood, "I will go." He ruffled Amaia's hair, "rest up, and join us soon." Banner stepped aside and let Thor pass.

Banner's radio went off. "Dr. Banner, agents in Berlin need aid! A building just collapsed on half the force!" Banner let out a heavy sigh. "I'll be back." He headed out of the room reluctantly.

Steve sat beside Amaia, shaking his head. "The attacks have only gotten worse," he told her. Tony sat in a chair and checked on his leg. The bones were mostly reconstructed at that point. Amaia rested a hand on Steve's shoulder. "It's going to be all right. It will pass eventually." Steve shrugged, "but how many lives will be lost between now and then?"

Fury cleared his throat, looking down at his hologram watch. "Captain, you're needed in San Fransisco." Steve reluctantly stood. "I'll be back." He ruffled Amaia's hair much in the same manner as Thor and jogged out of the room. Out of all of them, he was the least exhausted.

"I'll make them some coffee for when they come back," Amaia stated, standing and stretching her legs. She helped Tony to his feet. Fury commented, "I'm sure they'll appreciate that. I have to go check on command." He left the room. Amaia helped Tony down the hall to the lounge where she made him sit down and gave him a cup of coffee, unsweetened with a lot of cream, the way he liked it. Tony smiled despite himself when he took the first sip. Amaia busied herself making enough coffee for the others.

It was quiet, the only sounds being the gentle gurgle of the coffee pot and footsteps in the hall. Tony paused, footsteps? Leisurely ones at that, not in any hurry. That was certainly unusual, everyone was busy. Tony pushed the button to put his blaster on his hand. Sure enough, the man who swung the door open was no SHIELD agent. It was Loki himself. He raised his scepter, and Tony understood. He was here for Amaia's power. With everyone busy, he could waltz right in and take what he wanted, and Tony was in no shape to stop him. Tony didn't even have time to raise his hand when Loki hit the ground with his Scepter. A wave of power went out, and the room was wrecked. Tony found himself on the floor, bleeding and burned where his cup had hit him in the chin. He looked up, groaning in pain, trying to reach his radio, which laid on the ground with the overturned table.

Loki picked up Amaia, who was barely conscious and bleeding from her head. "There now," he cooed with false sweetness. "You want to help people, don't you?" He looked at Tony. "Well, let me help you with that." Tony shot a beam at him, but he was already out the door and gone, and there wasn't a damn thing Tony could do about it.


	13. Naivety

There never seemed to be an end for fresh sources to Tony's guilt, but he was getting good at hiding it. Steve, however, was not. Banner had been the one to first find Tony, and when Steve found out what had happened, he didn't seem to know what to do with himself. He just sat there, staring down at his shield, occasionally shaking.

Of course, everyone was put on high alert. After what happened with the frost giants, it was crucial that Blackbird be found and taken to safety. In Loki's hands, she could very well mean their demise. However, no matter where they looked, there was no trace of Loki or Blackbird. After two weeks, the search seemed hopeless. Not only that, but Hydra was quiet. Too quiet. There had been no sightings since Blackbird had disappeared.

Thor was the only one who still searched with the same engagement as he had when they first started. Every hour that he was free he searched for her. He even went up to Asgard to see if maybe Loki had taken her there. He hadn't of course, but Thor was desperate.

On the fifteenth day, Tony tried to coax Steve out of his despair. "We'll find her, Cap. She'll be okay. She's a big girl." Steve ignored him. Tony was getting tired of his moping. "Look, Captain, you can't quit just because of a little setback."

"I'm not quitting," Steve looked up, his eyes cold and harsh. "I'm trying to think of where he might have taken her. We can rule out all capital cities, and the places we've searched, so where haven't we looked?" Tony had never seen him like this and it scared him a little. He sat down, rubbing his temples. "I wish I could tell you. It seems like we've scoured the globe, and still, nothing." Steve stood and went over to the window and looked out over New York. He paused, looking back at Tony. "Have we searched New York yet?" Tony shrugged. "Maybe, but why would he be so close to where he knows we are." Steve's vigor had been renewed. "He might be hiding right under our noses!" Tony stood. It was worth a shot.

* * *

The prisoners and guards in the middle of the sea were much more compliant with Eduki feeding off their brains. Seagate Prison had turned out to be the perfect hiding hole while Loki trained his new pet. He had kept her asleep with gas and magic for a few weeks until he was certain that every last creature, be it human, mutant, or whatever else was kept away from the world here, was under his control. Surprisingly, many of them hadn't even needed Eduki to become completely loyal to him and his cause.

He kept her in a pleasant room in the very bottom of the prison. The room was all black, with the exception of her sheets, which were white. Loki always had a flair for symbolism. He decided that it was time to wake her. He doubted that she'd be willing to join him without some encouragement, and he began to wonder if an Eduki would even work if she had an infinity stone in her head.

He would cross that bridge when he came to it. Of course, he had a back up plan.

"Amaia," he called as he entered the room with two guards, a mutant, and an independant Eduki with him. He freed the room from the gas and magic. "Amaia, sweet, it's time to wake up." He strolled over to her bedside. She began to stir. She opened her eye, and was quickly overcome with a look of fear. Loki reached out to her, "don't be afraid." She flinched away from him, "Don't touch me! I'll do it!" She had her hand over the cloth covering her eye. Loki raised an eyebrow. "And drown everyone in this compound? The hundreds of people and mutants, many of them innocent? I don't think you will." Her hand lowered slowly. "Good girl," Loki smiled. "Now we can make this easy, or we can make this hard. Will you work for me and rule the universe with me?"

As expected, she refused. Loki sighed, "the hard way then." He motioned for the Eduki to come forward. He doubted it would work, but it was worth a try.

Amaia's eye widened and she tried to wave it away. It crawled in her ear. There was a moment where she just had a look of horror, then her eye closed. Loki blinked. Had it worked? No, of course not, the thing leaked out of her, then sank to the floor. Its glow was gone. "So that's what a dead one looks like," Loki mused. "Good to know."

"Not to worry," Loki chuckled. "These may not work on you, but they will work on your companions." Her eye grew wide again, "don't you touch them!" She was obviously an amateur at dealing with supervillains. Loki patted her head, "I'll do whatever I like, Amaia. I'll put them through hell, just for you. Wont that be fun?" He was getting to her, he could tell. Even threats could be dangerous.

"If I do what you ask," she began, then paused. Loki smiled innocently, "go on." "If I do what you ask, you have to swear you wont hurt them, or anyone!" Oh, the glorious loopholes; she really was naive. Loki put his hand over his chest. "I swear on my mother that I will not harm your Avengers." Amaia gulped and shook his hand.

She was naive then, and she was afraid.


End file.
